I am an atmospheric scientist studying the chemistry of pollutants that affect air quality and the Earth's climate. My research seeks to explain the factors that control the chemical composition of the atmosphere. I develop global atmospheric chemistry models and use them with Earth observations to investigate the chemistry associated with air pollution, contaminant deposition to ecosystems, and climate change.
Viral Shah
(SR SCIENTIFIC PROGR/ANALYST)
| Email: | viral.shah@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.614.5555 |
| Org Code: | 610.1 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 610.1 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | SCIENCE SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS INC |
Brief Bio
Research Interests
Tropospheric chemistry and air quality
Earth Science: Theory & ModelingMy current research in focused on understanding the processes that affect tropospheric ozone and nitrogen oxides and improving the representation of these processes in atmospheric chemistry models. I primarily work with the GEOS-Chem chemistry model, which is now included in GMAO's GEOS model and is used to produce the GEOS Composition Forecasts (GEOS-CF). I use atmospheric observations from satellites, aircraft campaigns, and ground-based sites to evaluate models.
Positions/Employment
Lead Research Scientist
SSAI - GSFC
2022 - Present
Research Associate
Harvard University - Cambridge, MA
2018 - 2022
Education
Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (2018)
Selected Publications
Refereed
2024. "Particulate Nitrate Photolysis as a Possible Driver of Rising Tropospheric Ozone." Geophysical Research Letters 51 (5): [10.1029/2023gl107980] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Nitrogen oxides in the free troposphere: implications for tropospheric oxidants and the interpretation of satellite NO2 measurements." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 23 (2): 1227-1257 [10.5194/acp-23-1227-2023] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Improved Mechanistic Model of the Atmospheric Redox Chemistry of Mercury." Environmental Science & Technology 55 (21): 14445-14456 [10.1021/acs.est.1c03160] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Global modeling of cloud water acidity, precipitation acidity, and acid inputs to ecosystems." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20 (20): 12223-12245 [10.5194/acp-20-12223-2020] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Effect of changing NOx lifetime on the seasonality and long-term trends of satellite-observed tropospheric NO2 columns over China." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 20 (3): 1483-1495 [10.5194/acp-20-1483-2020] [Journal Article/Letter]